Apple Cinnamon Muffins

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Quick Summary

Apple cinnamon muffins with a sweet and buttery cinnamon crumb topping. These muffins are easy to make and are great for breakfast or snack time.

Apple Cinnamon Muffins with crumb topping.

Muffins are one of my favorite things to bake, blueberry, banana, pumpkin, strawberry, zucchini, and the list goes on! I love that they double as a breakfast and snack and they’re so good for days when you’re on the go.

Apple Cinnamon Muffins are one of my go-to recipes! They make great use of in-season apples during the fall months, but are good year-round. 

The muffins are filled with cinnamon and allspice for a warm, comforting, spiced flavor that’s nostalgic and totally delicious. You will find tender apple pieces in the center of the buttery muffins and the sweet cinnamon crumb topping will WOW you!

Apple Cinnamon Muffins with crumb topping on board with apples and cinnamon sticks.

Ingredients

Here are the ingredients you’ll need to gather to make these apple cinnamon muffins! I love the spices that add so much flavor into this recipe.

  • Flour – measure the flour most accurately by scooping it into the measuring cup and running a knife over the top before dumping it into the measuring bowl
  • Sugar– granulated and brown sugar
  • Baking soda and baking powder
  • Spices– ground cinnamon and allspice
  • Salt
  • Unsalted butter– melted and slightly cooled
  • Buttermilk, at room temperature – if you don’t have buttermilk, measure out the amount of milk you’ll need and add a splash of vinegar. Let it sit for a few minutes and it’s good to go!
  • Eggs – you’ll want these at room temperature for this recipe! Either pull them out ahead of time and let the eggs sit on the counter or run them under hot water for a minute or two to bring them to room temperature.
  • Vanilla extract– use pure vanilla extract! 
  • Apples – peel, core, and dice your apples!

What Apples are Best in Muffins?

I love using Granny Smith or Honeycrisp  apples. They’re super juicy, and I love the way their tart flavor contrasts with the sweet muffin batter. Fuji, Braeburn, Jonagold, and Gala are all good options for baking as well.

Crumb Topping

I love a muffin with a crumb topping! It makes them feel like such a treat. I make this crumb topping first, and then refrigerate it while I make the muffins. Combine the following ingredients in a bowl: 

  • Flour
  • Brown sugar
  • Granulated sugar
  • Cinnamon
  • Melted butter
stack of apple cinnamon muffins.

How to Make Apple Cinnamon Muffins

This muffin recipe is easy and your house will smell amazing while they are baking!

  • Line a 12 cup muffin tin with muffin liners AND spray the cups with nonstick cooking spray. Spraying the cups will ensure the muffins come out nice and clean. 
  • When you whisk the brown sugar into the dry ingredients make sure there are no brown sugar clumps. If you need to dissolve any large clumps with your fingers, you can. 
  • Melt the butter and let it cool slightly. Use room temperature eggs and buttermilk. 
  • Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and use a spatula to gently fold them together. Don’t stir it for too long; just until the flour disappears! 
  • Gently fold in the apples. 
  • Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups, then top each muffin evenly with crumb topping. 
  • Bake the muffins until they’re golden brown and the tops are set. This should take 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. You can also check for doneness by touching the muffin top lightly and it will spring back when ready.
  • Let the pan cool on a cooling rack for 5 minutes before pulling them out of the pan.

Batter Consistency

Don’t over mix the batter or your muffins won’t be light and fluffy. Mix until the flour is just barely incorporated into the wet ingredients, and fold the apples in with as few stirs as possible. It will be a thick batter and that is ok!

Mini Muffins

You can absolutely use this recipe to make mini muffins! Follow the same instructions, fill your mini muffin tins, and just reduce the baking times. It will take 10 to 15 minutes, but check them early to be safe.

How to Store

The muffins are best the day they are made, but you can store them covered on the counter for up to 3 days. You can also freeze the muffins for up to 2 months in a freezer bag or freezer container.

More Muffin Recipes

bite out of an apple cinnamon muffin.

More Apple Recipes

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Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Apple cinnamon muffins with a sweet and buttery cinnamon crumb topping. These muffins are easy to make and are great for breakfast or snack time.
4.77 from 42 votes

Ingredients
  

For the crumb topping:

For the muffins:

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a muffin pan with paper muffin cups or spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
  • To make the crumb topping, combine the flour, sugars, cinnamon, and melted butter in a small bowl. Mix with a fork until combined and mixture is crumbly. Place the bowl in the refrigerator until ready to use.
  • To make the muffins: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugars, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and allspice. If there are small brown sugar clumps, break them up with your fingers.
  • In a small bowl, combine the melted butter, buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla. Whisk until eggs are well combined with the other liquid ingredients.
  • Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and gently stir together with a spatula. Don’t over mix the batter, stir just until flour disappears. Gently fold in the apples.
  • Divide the muffin batter evenly among the muffin cups. Top each muffin evenly with crumb topping. Gently press the crumbs into the batter.
  • Bake the muffins for 18 to 20 minutes or until the muffin tops are golden and the tops are set. You can insert a toothpick into the center of a muffin and if it comes out clean, they are done.
  • Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and let the muffins cool for 5 minutes in the pan. Remove from the pan and enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 297kcal, Carbohydrates: 41g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 13g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Cholesterol: 59mg, Sodium: 254mg, Potassium: 121mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 21g, Vitamin A: 423IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 58mg, Iron: 1mg
Keywords apple

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Maria

I'm Maria and my husband is Josh. We share a love of cooking, baking, and entertaining. We enjoy creating recipes that are simple, fresh, and family friendly. We love sitting around the table with good food, good conversation, and good friends and family! Our kitchen is always open!
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  1. These look great and I love a really thick strenuous/crumb topping so these are right up my alley!

  2. It is a great time to bond with the whole family making this delicious cupcake. Making breakfast more fun =)

  3. What a perfect day off breakfast! 😀 I love that there’s whole wheat flour in them. Seeing these muffins made me think of how I tend to eat muffins/cupcakes. I eat the bottom part first, saving the best part for last…the topping. 😀 Haha!

  4. I don’t have the day off, but the schools are delayed here because we got a dusting of snow last night. I am seriously considering getting up right now to make these – they sound perfect!

  5. sooooooo…i don’t have a break again (minus the maternity leave hehe) until Memorial Day. that’s, you know, forEVER away, but i’ll take these muffins any time! maybe for just a rest day? 😉

  6. Chunks of apple and a crumb topping?? Awesome!! These are perfect for a special breakfast! I think theyd be awesome with a little ab on top

  7. These muffins look delicious. Oh, how I wish that we had today off so that I could have the house wake up to the smell of these muffins. Maybe this weekend….:)

  8. These muffins look amazing!!! I love apple muffins. I need to get some more apples today!

  9. The spice mixture in this muffin look perfect – I think a lot of apple muffin mixtures don’t use enough spices to highlight the apple. And the crumb topping makes it even better. Definitely seeing a pan of these in my future.

  10. Definitely don’t have the day off but I’m taking the morning slowly. Wish I had time to bake up a batch of these. I love granny smith apples, especially when baked into treats like these. And I have a huge weakness for crumb topping!

  11. Maria I can smell these through my screen!! How did you know that apple ANYTHING is my favorite? Must make–now!!

  12. These look delicious! I love how those apples are just bursting out of the muffin. Thanks for sharing!

  13. These would be perfect for what I like to think of as breakfast dessert. A little something sweet to finish my cup of coffee or tea in the morning is the way I like to do things!

  14. We love apple muffins and baked apple donuts around here too! So, so yummy! Your pictures are just beautiful and are making me crave a muffin right now 🙂

  15. There are very few things I love more than baked apple chunks in muffins – they’re so soft and sweet!

  16. the smell of apple cinnamon coming from the oven is definitely one of the best! Even better when you get to eat it for breakfast!

  17. Yummm!!! Super delicious treat. Yes, I am still in my jammies. Yay for President’s Day and yay to goodness like these muffins!

  18. this is my favorite type of muffin — i love cinnamon and apple together and i’m obsessed with a crumb top. this sounds so delicious and I wish I had the time to whip these up tonight for a delicious breakfast tomorrow — do you ship? haha jk 🙂

  19. Unfortunately it was a normal work day and cereal for me this morning but these look awesome and I’ll be remembering them come the weekend!

  20. I love that these use some whole wheat! And oil. They look really nice… really hearty. 🙂

    I’ve never put allspice in apple muffins before. I think I’ll give this recipe a try, although in the fall. I guess I’m kind of weird about apples! They’re just a fall-y thing for me.

  21. I’ve been in a muffin mood lately. And then I remembered I threw out my old, crusty muffin tin and never replaced it. :/ I love apples and cinnamon! These look delicious.

  22. These look so good. I usually just add apple to bran muffins but these look really good. I need to up my muffin game.

  23. Apple and cinnamon anything is a favorite combination. It’s classic, and add the crumb and I’m in love.

  24. These muffins really are calling my name! I love the crumble on top. I’m totally craving Apple Muffins now 🙂

  25. I made these muffins with a similar recipe and they were fantastic! I’m sure your addition of buttermilk only made them better!! And the crumb topping totally makes these muffins… so good 🙂

  26. Will it affect the flavor or consistency at all if I prepare the mixture a day in advance, leave it in the fridge overnight, then actually do the baking the next day?

    1. I haven’t tried keeping the batter in the fridge. I have made them a day in advance and they still taste good the next day.

  27. When I bake these (which is very often btw), they always stick to the paper liners and removing the liners is often messy…do you have any idea why?

  28. As I’m getting ready to make these muffins for the 2nd time, I just want to let you know how much I love this recipe! It’s now a permanent addition to my muffin recipe rotation. Thank you!

  29. These were delish!!! I did, however, make a few substitutions. I did not have any buttermilk, so I used whole instead. I doubled the amount of apples, all spice, cinnamon and added some pumpkin pie spice (about 1-2 tbsp). I also had some toasted almonds and walnuts left over from a previous recipe, so I added those in as well. I would suggest making more of the streusel–mine ran out too soon–so next time I’ll probably double it. All in all…..yummy!

  30. Just made 22 of these yesterday afternoon with my 3 year old using our freshly picked apples – they’re all gone! Definitely a thumbs up! Moist and apple favors that pop! I’m gonna try adding some plumped golden raisins. Thanks for the recipe that works!

  31. Just made these last night with some leftover pie apples and they were AMAZING!! I will be keeping this recipe around forever. So quick and easy to make and delicious for breakfast this morning. Thank you!!

  32. Just made these and….THEY ARE FANTASTIC. Seriously. My friends are so impressed with me, but I am giving all credit to the recipe! I doubled the recipe and had enough for 24 muffins and an 8×8 loaf pan. The crumb topping is to-die-for. I also chopped my apples very small so the kind of blended right in. I am so happy with the way they turned out- moist, delicious, and so flavorful! Definitely on my list of favorites from now on. Thanks!

    1. I am making these to thank our local firefighters who responded to a 911 call I made last week. The recipe says all purpose flour but several comments say that they are glad the recipe called for whole wheat flour. What is the preferred flour to use for these? I have both on hand. Thanks!

    2. That is so nice of you. I hope everything is ok. You can use either flour, but I would go with all-purpose for a lighter texture. I hope they love them!

  33. Okay, I’m finished. They are D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S!!!!!!! I will definitely make these again. The hard part will be not eating 11 more of them before my hubby gets home from work…

  34. Thank you SOOOOO much for sharing this recipe. I didn’t have buttermilk on hand so used almond milk and some lemon juice but they still turned out wonderfully. My husband and I were eating them warm out of the oven and about fell over with delight. 🙂 I’ll be making these very often. Thanks again!!!!

  35. I made these in November and we absolutely LOVED them. Second batch in the oven as I type this. 🙂 I didn’t have whole wheat flour and had been meaning to try the almond flour I had in the pantry, so I used 3/4 c. almond flour and the rest all-purpose. Also, my kids don’t like pieces of anything in their muffins so I grated the apples (squeezed out excess moisture). One of my favorite all time muffins. Thanks so much for the recipe!

  36. I just made these last night and they’re delicious! My father, who isn’t the biggest fan of my baking, gave them a nine! I don’t think I’ve ever had a recipe look and taste exactly as described. Very moist and flavorful. I will definitely be making these again soon. Thank you so much!

  37. I think pears would be good too! You can keep the recipe the exact same or add in a little ground ginger or nutmeg if you wish!

  38. Perfect recipe! I didn’t change a thing other than another 1/4 c. apples. They are perfectly structured, moist, and just the right amount of sweet and spicy. I look forward to this being in regular fall rotation!

  39. 5 stars
    These muffins are delicious! Exactly what I was looking for. I made them and put them in the freezer to take camping. Can’t wait for my family to enjoy them. Thank you the recipe. It’s perfect!

  40. How do you think these would be with cinnamon chips instead of cinnamon in the batter? Have several bags to use up.

  41. I used to make these muffins all the time and it was always my go-to recipe. But I could SWEAR the recipe used to have whole wheat flour in it. Am I imagining things? Have you changed the original recipe?

  42. 4 stars
    Made these delicious muffins for breakfast! I used apples picked off our apple tree. They tasted so good! Thank you Maria for the recipe. I will definitely make them again.

  43. I made these last year and they were SOOO yummy!!!! I gave them to a few members also loved them. I am making them again real soon!!

  44. 5 stars
    I made these this morning with my 5 year old grandson and they are delicious! Tender, moist and full of flavor, and yes, the crumb topping is the best! The only deviation I made from the recipe was to use nutmeg in place of the allspice, as I am not a huge allspice fan. This recipe is definitely a keeper!!

  45. I was curious as to using Almond Flour and have you made these with that ? Is the ratio the same (?). These sound delicious, I would probably swap using Nutmeg, rather than Allspice. I’m sure it’s fine either way.

    1. I haven’t tried almond flour. It will affect the texture so I don’t recommend using it here. You can swap nutmeg though.

    2. I have made these using half almond flour and half AP many times – I actually prefer them that way!! Just made them and didn’t have almond flour, was disappointed but I’m sure they’ll still be good!!

  46. These sounds so good. However I’m not a fan of the fruit chunks. Could i make these with apple sauce instead? How would you recommend doing that? Add more flour?

  47. 5 stars
    5+ ⭐️ Maria – Absolutely the best muffins!
    Used nutmeg instead of allspice (didn’t have any). As soon as this recipe popped up on FB, I started making them. At this rate, I’m going to be baking on a treadmill .

  48. 4 stars
    Love these, but will triple the apple! The spices are just right and the crumble is si good! I made mine in a 9×11 ad it was my third batch if Two Peas muffins and couldn’t scoop another! So good and cannot wait to male again!

  49. Love so many of your recipes don’t even know where to begin. I can’t wait to make the raspberry muffins & the apple muffins
    Thanks so much.

  50. 5 stars
    These apple cinnamon muffins are fabulous!! I made them yesterday and both my husband and I love them. Not too oily like some muffins. The topping is perfect! I used honey crisp apples. I will make these again.

  51. Do you think this could work with grated apples instead?? This is my favorite recipe of yours but I hate chopping the apples!!

  52. 5 stars
    I used to make these a lot – I swear you had white pepper in the recipe before…???? Regardless, they’re so good!! I always grate and squeeze water out of the apples since my kids prefer no chunks. Otherwise follow recipe, delicious.